


Keeping Watch

by OhMyViolet



Series: Tanner & Toby [2]
Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, By far the dumbest thing I've ever written, Character Death, M/M, Mirage has no friends, Prowlers, Set during the first quest, Tanner and Toby are at it again, i guess?, quest spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:27:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24287353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhMyViolet/pseuds/OhMyViolet
Summary: Mirage is sent to find the first artifact piece alone, with only his decoys for company. Tanner and Toby decide to keep watch together but they should have paid better attention.
Relationships: Decoy/Decoy
Series: Tanner & Toby [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1784545
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	Keeping Watch

**Author's Note:**

> Tanner- Kinda confident.  
> Toby- Kinda shy. 
> 
> Me: I have this idea, but I'm not gonna write it.  
> Someone else: Do it.  
> Me: Okay.

Elliott grumbled something to himself, as the ship neared the drop zone. He hadn't really been looking forward to this trip into a creepy other dimension to look for the first piece of this artifact. His attitude towards it had gone from apprehension to down right fear. All of the other legends had sorted themselves into squads for their search parties, but no one wanted to pair with him so he was doing it alone. Luckily for him, he was never truly alone when he had his decoys and they'd just gotten a big upgrade, where their AI was now in his game gear and not just the holo-panels he kept at home and at the bar. It was exciting and meant now he had some company for the trip. It was totally the same as having actual friends. Right? 

Elliott summoned a decoy as soon as his feet touched the ground, already unnerved by the screeching of the weird, glowy flyers somewhere in the distance.   
"Alright, let's party!" Tanner exclaimed, when he appeared, already running a few paces ahead before pausing. "Damn, Ell. You couldn't have given us some head torches or something? I can't see shit."   
They made their way up the slope towards Artillery, like Loba had instructed, coming to a halt when they were met by the body of a dead prowler.   
"I, uh...think other folks may have been here," Elliott called to his counterpart. "Keep an eye out."   
"Yes sir," Tanner replied, giving him a mock salute.   
His attention was drawn towards something in the distance, the metal of which seemed to glimmer under the moonlight; a mastiff shotgun.   
"Damn, people really have no respect for anything around here. Who leaves this stuff just lying around?" the decoy muttered to himself before turning to his creator, who was gathering med supplies. "Hey, boss. Check this out."   
Elliott emitted a low whistle as he approached, seeing what the decoy was pointing to.   
"Nice. I bet we could blow some babies sky-high with this thing," he said, taking the gun in his hands and giving it a wipe down. "Not like...actual babies. I meant the...you know what I meant. I love kids." 

"Alright, time to set up shop and get me a piece of that...piece," Elliott said, as they stepped inside the building where the artifact was apparently buried.   
He pressed a button on his suit, prompting several more decoys to appear around him.   
"Okay, you guys watch my back while I figure this thing out," he told the group, as he set up the extraction drill. "This might take a while and I don't want anything sneaking up on us."   
"Don't worry, Elliott! Our eyes will be as sharp as our jawline," someone replied, before the group split off to keep a lookout on the stairs and different entrances.   
"The Tobester and I will guard out front," Tanner piped up, grabbing the more timid decoy by the elbow and pulling him outside. "Nothing will get past the dream team!" 

"Okay, you keep your eyes that way, and I'll look this way," Tanner said, leaning back against the old IMC jeep that had been abandoned here some time ago.   
Toby looked around unsure, shuddering when he spotted the large flyer perched not too far away, watching them.   
"You okay?"   
The shyest of the pair looked back at his copy, with a small nod.   
"Why did you...w-want me to partner with you?" he asked, looking around nervously again. "You know I'm not...good at this stuff. Or well...anything."   
"Don't say that," the more confident decoy replied. "You're good at lots of stuff! And maybe I...just w-wanted to...spend time with you."   
Toby looked back at him and then away again, a blush painted on his cheeks.   
"How about we try to lighten the mood a little?" Tanner suggested, regaining his companion's attention. "What did the...no. How did the medium know what the ghost got her for her birthday? She felt his presents. Get it? Coz it sounds like...presence and they...Yeah, you get it."   
Tanner beamed when he received a small giggle from the other decoy, trying hard to think of another joke.   
"Let's see here...Uh...Oh! Why won't the animals in the jungle play cards anymore? Because there was always too many cheetahs!"   
"Tanner!" Toby giggled, covering his face with his hands to try and muffle the sound.   
"Yeah, you like those huh? Let me see if I can think of anoth-...Ahhh!" 

Toby pulled his hands away from his face; his joyous look quickly turning to one of horror as he saw what was happening in front of him. A large prowler had crawled onto the jeep Tanner had been leaning against, and had pounced on him, pinning him to the ground and clawing at his chest, with its terrifyingly large claws. Toby didn't know where exactly it had come from but he knew it had come from behind Tanner; the direction he was supposed to be keeping an eye on.   
"Get it off! Get it off!" Tanner cried out, but there was nothing the timid decoy could do to help.   
He was frozen with fear.   
A couple of shots were fired from inside the building and the prowler fell to the side, with a heavy thud; dead.   
"Stop slacking off out there!" Elliott's voice could be heard yelling, but Toby paid no attention to his creator, dropping to his knees and crawling his way towards his companion.   
"Tanner...I'm so s-sorry," he whispered, slipping his hand into the other decoy's, squeezing it as hard as he could as tears began to well in his eyes. "This is all m-my fault! I should've been watching!"   
Tanner turned his head, opening his mouth as if he was going to say something, but never got the chance. He flickered a few times, before disappearing out of existence, leaving the frightened decoy alone and empty handed.   
"No!" he cried, bawling his hands into fists and slamming them into the ground as tears spilled down his cheeks.   
This was all his fault. 

"Alright, kids. We got the piece now let's make tracks, I'm getting hungry," Elliott said, jogging outside with the artifact piece in hand.   
He paused upon seeing his lookalike curled up in a small ball, sniffling.   
"Come on let's go," he said, tapping the decoy on the shoulder. "We got it...What's the matter with you, man?"   
"They...killed him," Toby sobbed, burying his face in his arms. "Th-they got him and it...was all m-my fault. I'm so...stupid!"   
"Who? Who did they kill?"   
"...Tanner."   
Elliott brushed a hand through his curls, looking down at the prowler he'd shot with a shudder.   
"We need to go," the trickster told him, pulling on his arm, trying to force him to stand. "The ship's gonna be leaving soon. I need you to cover me."   
Toby shook his head, pulling his arm away.   
"I can't leave without him!"   
"He'll come back when we get home!"   
Elliott pulled on his arm again, but the devastated decoy refused to move. He looked over his shoulder, spotting more prowlers in the distance, closing on them.   
"Fine," he said harshly, beginning to walk away. "Stay. I'm getting out of here."   
Elliott cleared out the last few prowlers that were blocking his path to the ship, before jumping inside. He paused, hearing some aggressive growling in the distance that was quickly followed by a cry and an anguished scream. He shivered, and shook his head, suddenly glad it wasn't him down there, before pulling the door of the ship closed, mumbling to himself;   
"Idiots." 

**Author's Note:**

> Does anyone actually care how the decoys are actually supposed to work and function because I don't.


End file.
